12 Days of Christmas Tales
by Merrymary05
Summary: This is a series of stories set during the Christmas season starring my favorite couple Serena and Darien. Some are funny, some are serious, some are romantic, and others are somewhere in between. Enjoy!
1. The Gift

**12 Days of Christmas Tales**

**Author's Notes: Well hello there! I'm basically done with my final semester of grad school and I felt like celebrating by bringing a series of Christmas stories since Christmas is 13 days away (I can't believe it either!). None of these stories are related… they're just different ideas I've had running in my mind and I thought I'd share. Hopefully I'll have something new every day so it'll really be 12 days of Christmas tales, but we'll see about that. Merry Christmas and enjoy!**

**1. The Gift**

Serena had a wonderful Christmas morning with her family and was overjoyed when she saw that she got a sled for one of her presents, especially when it actually snowed for Christmas this year. She decided to go to the park to play with her new sled where she knew of the perfect hill to try it out. She invited her little brother to come with her, but he was too busy playing the new video games he got. Serena excitedly arrived at the park not expecting to see anyone since they would probably be busy with their own Christmas festivities, but she was surprised as she passed the frozen lake to see someone sitting by himself on a bench. She thought he looked familiar with the mop of black hair and as she got closer her suspicions were confirmed. She missed her daily run in with him so she decided to say hello; it was Christmas after all. She took a seat next to him. "Merry Christmas, Jerk Face," she said playfully.

"Hi Serena," he said quietly without looking at her.

She frowned. His voice sounded so sad and he had even called her by name. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he answered monotonously.

"You don't sound fine. Seriously… what's wrong, Darien?"

He looked up at her for the first time and stared for a bit. "I'd rather not talk about it," he finally said. "You wouldn't understand anyway." He got up. "Enjoy the rest of your Christmas, Meatball Head."

Serena watched sadly as he walked away with slumped shoulders. Something was definitely wrong and she felt awful about it even though she didn't know what it was. Suddenly she didn't feel like going sledding anymore as an idea came in her head. She hurried home to make some arrangements.

Darien closed his apartment door and hung up his coat. He hoped that spending some time alone in the park would help clear his head, but it seemed to make it worse. It didn't help that Serena unexpectedly show up either, not to say that he wasn't glad to see her. If he had stayed there any longer he surely would have broken down and embarrassed himself in front of her. He took a seat on his couch in the den and held his head in his hands. This marked the thirteenth anniversary of the day his parents were taken away from him and here he was all alone again. He didn't want to think about it. He just laid on the couch and closed his eyes hoping to sleep the rest of the day away until he had to go to Andrew's house for dinner. Everything didn't go as planned however as knocking interrupted his sleep after a while. He stretched and checked the time noting that he had been sleeping for a few hours. He rubbed his eyes and tried to ignore the knocking figuring it was some carolers, but the knocking just got louder and faster. He sighed and finally went to answer the door. When he opened it he was surprised to see Serena standing there. "Meatball Head, what are you…?"

He was interrupted by her suddenly hugging him as tight as she could, but not tight enough to prevent him from breathing. Darien was confused at first. Serena was his "enemy" yet here she was at the door just hugging him. It seemed as though she was putting all of her love and energy into the hug and it amazed him that she seemed to care so much. He shyly started to hug her back and when his arms were around her something triggered inside. It just felt right for her to be in his arms at that moment and he realized that this was exactly what he needed. He closed his eyes as he continued to hold onto her wishing that this moment could last forever. "Darien," Serena said after a while.

Darien smiled at her nervously before he finally let her go and remembered his manners. He cleared his throat. "Would you like to come in?"

Serena nodded and stepped inside as he closed the door behind her. She let him lead the way into his den where they sat together on his couch. "You looked so sad when I saw you at the park earlier so I came to give you your Christmas present." She held out a present he just noticed that she was holding the entire time. "Open it," she said cheerfully.

Darien did as he was told and opened the package slowly. His throat tightened when he saw what it was and took it out of the box. It was a silver picture frame that had the words "friendship grows from the heart." What got to him was the little note Serena had written: "know you are loved." It suddenly hit him that no one had shown this much loving affection towards him since before the accident and he was greatly touched by Serena's kindness. He looked at her with tear filled eyes. "Thank you," he said hoarsely.

Serena hugged him again. "It's ok to cry if you need to," she whispered to him. "I won't tell anyone." She felt him return the hug and before she knew it he was crying on her shoulder. She simply rubbed his back and held him in silence.

"I'm glad you came today," he whispered to her after a while.

She smiled at him. "Are you ok?"

He let her go and sniffled. "I will be."

"You can talk to me anytime you want. Even though we fight a lot, I still consider you one of my friends."

"I'll remember that."

"I have to get home for Christmas dinner," she said as she got up.

He stood up with her. "I'd hate to see what happens when you miss a meal."

Serena smiled at him. "There's the Jerk Face I know and love." She looked at him seriously. "Would you like to have dinner with us? I'm sure my family wouldn't mind."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm having dinner with Andrew's family." He hugged her again. "Thank you for making this Christmas special, Meatball Head. I'll never forget it."

Serena returned the hug. "That's what friends are for." She let him go and he opened the front door for her. Before she left she stood there and smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Darien."

"Merry Christmas, Serena." She waved to him before running down the stairs and he closed the door. It was amazing how one gift could change his world forever. He promised himself he would tell her just how much this meant to him someday, but for now it was enough to know he was loved.


	2. Meet Me at the Mistletoe

**Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews so far! This story was inspired by Dave Barnes' song "Meet Me At The Mistletoe" (If you don't have his Christmas CD you need to get it pronto!). I had fun writing this one and I hope you like it!**

**Summary:** Serena and Darien are up to their usual antics at a Christmas party, but what happens when they meet at the mistletoe.

"Jerk!"

"Meatball Head!"

"Minus 0 personality!"

"Lazy klutz!"

Serena groaned. "Do you really spend all of your free time coming up with ways to annoy me?"

"Not as much as you spend at the arcade eating ice cream and milkshakes," Darien replied.

"Enough is enough!" Andrew yelled. "It's Christmas Eve for goodness sake! Can't you two just get along?"

"He/She started it," they said at the same time.

Andrew sighed. "The party is only a few more hours. As my friends, can you just try to get along for one afternoon? I'm begging you."

"As long as Meatball Head doesn't steal another Christmas cookie from me," Darien said.

"You drank _my_ hot chocolate! It's called payback."

"Guys," Andrew said warningly. "If you can't get along, then just stay away from each other."

"That's a good idea," Darien said before pulling one of Serena's pigtails.

Serena rolled her eyes at him before turning back to Andrew. "I'm sorry if I've ruined your fun," she said apologetically. She made her way towards her best friends, but as she passed Darien she stepped on his foot. "Sorry, Darien," she said with mock sweetness before walking away and sticking her tongue out at him.

Darien winced in pain as he took a seat. "That girl is gonna drive me crazy," he said.

***.*.*.*.*.*.***

The party was going well and Serena and Darien had kept their distance for most of the afternoon. Serena was talking to her friends and happened to look up across the room where Darien was standing with Andrew and a few other friends. He happened to look up at the same time and had made eye contact with her. She winked at him and he gave her a smile back before they went back to their conversations. No one except the two of them noticed that they had been doing little gestures like that since the party began. After a while Serena went to the kitchen to get something to drink. She was about to get back to her friends in the den until Darien brushed past her and dropped a piece of paper near her feet. "I believe that's yours, Meatball Head," he said before continuing towards the kitchen.

Serena bent down and picked up the folded piece of paper. She opened it and found a note inside that had a short message: _Meet me at the mistletoe._ She smiled to herself and put the note in her pocket before making her way to the doorway that connected the den to the kitchen. Darien was just about to come through doorway from the kitchen when she got to the doorway from the den.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Mina said loudly getting everyone's attention. "Look up you two," she said excitedly.

Serena and Darien looked up and saw mistletoe hanging from the doorway. "Oh no," Darien said.

"Do I have to?" Serena whined. "I can hardly stand to breathe the same air as him!"

"It's tradition," Andrew said in a sing song voice. "Now hurry up and kiss!"

Serena and Darien faced each other with a look of disdain on each of their faces. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get to more enjoyable things," Darien said.

Serena sighed. "Let's get this over with." She stood on her tip toes and rested her hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and started to bend down. They closed their eyes and let their faces inch closer and closer together before their lips met for a short and sweet kiss. There was applause and wolf whistles heard all around them, but they were too immersed in their kiss to notice. Darien broke the kiss first and Serena had to do all she could not to pout. He was looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes and she gave him a small smile before rolling her eyes at him. "You can let me go now, Jerk Face," she said.

"As long as you get your hands off my chest, Meatball Head," he replied.

Serena pushed him away from her and stomped towards the dessert table, but she was smiling to herself all the way there. Little did she know that Darien was smiling to himself as he went back into the kitchen.

***.*.*.*.*.*.***

It was 5pm and the party was just about over. The only people who were left were Andrew, Mina, Amy, Rae, Lita, Serena, and Darien. "Thanks for staying to help clean up," Andrew said as he tied a giant trash bag.

"No problem," Amy said as she dumped crumbs in the trash.

"Your real friends are the ones who stay behind to help clean," Rae said.

"I was here first, Jerk Face!" Serena yelled from the kitchen.

"All I need to do is dump these leftover drinks, Meatball Head!" Darien yelled back.

Andrew and the rest of the girls sighed. "They're hopeless," Lita said.

"They're in love," Mina said.

"Seriously, Mina?" Rae asked. "They fight like cats and dogs."

"And it's been getting worse lately," Andrew commented.

"But did you see them under the mistletoe?" Mina asked. "They love each other!"

"I think you're too caught up in the holiday spirit," Amy said.

Mina pouted as she finished sweeping. Darien came out of the kitchen and grabbed his coat. "That girl is _so _annoying!" he said exasperatedly.

"Watch it," Lita said. "That's my best friend you're talking about."

Darien sighed. "Do you need anymore help, Drew?"

"I think we're about done. Thanks for coming."

"Merry Christmas everyone," Darien said as he went out the door.

Serena came out of the kitchen drying her hands. "Is he gone?" she asked.

"He just left," Amy said.

"How rude!" Serena said. "He didn't even say goodbye to me." She grabbed her coat and put it on. "Thanks for inviting me to the party, Andy. I had a lot of fun!"

"Even when you kissed Darien?" Mina asked.

Serena scrunched her face. "If I could I would have thrown up in his mouth!"

"Ewwww!" They all said.

"Anyway, Merry Christmas," Serena said as she gave everyone a hug.

"See you later, Sere," Andrew said.

"Bye girl!" Mina said.

"Don't eat too much pie," Rae said.

Serena stuck her tongue at her and went out the door. She was walking home and she wished it wasn't so cold outside. She crossed her arms and rubbed her arms up and down until she passed a corner and bumped into someone. She yelped before the person wrapped their arms around her and held her intimately. She smiled as she breathed in his familiar cologne. "You scared me," she said to him.

"I thought you'd never get here," he said.

She let go of him and let her wrap his arm around her shoulders as she interlocked hands with him. "I was washing dishes after the party, but someone slowed me down."

He looked down at her and smiled as they started walking along the sidewalk together. "He must have been a real jerk, especially if you can hardly stand to breathe the same air as him."

"Hey now, that's my boyfriend you're talking about!"

"Don't worry, I only let my girlfriend say those kinds of things in front of our friends."

Serena giggled. "Darien, you're so silly."

"Not as silly as you," he said cheekily. "Did you really have to step on my foot at the party?"

"It hurt when you pulled my hair… I had to do something about it."

"Well you hurt my foot," he playfully pouted.

"I was hoping that kiss under the mistletoe made up for it… nice touch with the note by the way."

"I thought it was clever." They stopped in front of his apartment and he just stared at her.

"What are you looking at?" Serena asked.

Darien smiled at her. "You're just so beautiful. Look what I put up."

Serena looked up and smiled when she saw mistletoe hanging from his doorway. "How sweet," she said.

"You owe me something," he said.

Serena smiled and got on her tip toes as he wrapped his arms around her. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned in close to give him a proper kiss. As soon as they broke apart for air they rested their foreheads against each other. "How long are we gonna keep this a secret?"

"As long as you want," he said. "But let's not worry about that now. I have a Christmas Eve dinner to make for my girlfriend." Serena giggled as he opened the door for them.


	3. All You Need is Love

**3. All You Need is Love**

**Summary: **Darien notices Serena feeling down around Christmas time and makes it his personal mission to make her feel better.

Darien came into the arcade and took a seat at the counter with a sigh. It was almost Christmas and he hated the entire season. It was cold, too many people were out shopping, and he really didn't have anyone to spend it with. He shoved those thoughts aside and decided to mope while reading the newspaper. "Hey Dar," Andrew said after a while. "Sorry I didn't get your coffee right away. The place is packed!"

Darien smiled at his friend as he placed a cup of coffee in front of him. "It's ok, Drew," he sighed before taking a sip of the warm liquid.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he replied in a rehearsed tone. He really didn't feel like having a heart to heart even though Andrew was his best friend.

Andrew looked at him as though he didn't believe him, but he didn't have time to pry like usual. "Ok. I'll be back later." He left and went to attend to more customers.

Darien shook his head. He was glad to have a friend who cared about him, but most of the time he felt like something was missing from his life. True he did have a lot taken away from him at a young age, but besides that there still seemed to be a void in his heart. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a familiar person take a seat beside him. He smiled and thought that speaking to her would make him feel better. "Hey Meatball Head," he greeted as she took her coat off.

"Hi Darien," she said absently. She crossed her arms on the counter and rested her chin there. Darien was confused. Usually she would make some sort of lame comeback or complain about him calling her Meatball Head, but she didn't. Something wasn't right. By this time Andrew was back. "Andy, can I have a peppermint chocolate milkshake please?"

"Sure thing, Serena," he said cheerfully as he went to make her order.

"Another milkshake?" Darien asked. "Keep drinking those and it'll be no time before you're as big as Santa Claus." Surely that would get some kind of reaction out of her.

"Do you really have nothing better to do than insult me?" Serena asked with genuine hurt. "There's more to life than that." Andrew had come back with her milkshake.

"Is everything ok?" Andrew asked.

"Everything is fine," Serena said in a rehearsed tone. She gave him a smile before he went back to work, but Darien could tell it was fake because it didn't reach her eyes like it normally did.

Darien watched her as she drank her milkshake. Her shoulders were slumped and she seemed to be in her own world thinking about something. She suddenly frowned and Darien grew concerned. "Are you ok, Meatball Head?" he finally asked.

She looked up at him. "Sure I am," she said sarcastically. "I love it when you call me names." Her voice cracked and she looked away, but Darien didn't fail to notice the tears forming in her eyes.

"It's just a joke," he said.

"Well it's not funny!" she said as she finished her milkshake and got up to leave.

Darien wasn't sure what to make of what just happened. He always called her Meatball Head and made jokes and she would always do the same to him. He thought it was all in good fun, but he never considered that she may have taken what he said to heart. He sighed as he finished his coffee. "Drew, can I get some more coffee when you get a chance?" he asked when he came back to the counter. The crowd was finally dying down since it was close to closing time.

"Where'd Serena go?" Andrew asked as he placed the coffee in front of Darien.

"She left." Andrew gave him a look. "I didn't do anything," he said defensively. Andrew continued to give him the look. "I just called her Meatball Head." Andrew tapped the counter impatiently. "And maybe I made a comment about her milkshakes making her as big as Santa."

Andrew groaned. "You have to stop saying stuff like that. You know she doesn't like it."

"She says the same kinds of things to me… it's like an inside joke we have, but she wasn't herself today."

"I noticed too," Andrew said. "She's been really sad for the past few days and I don't know why."

Darien looked at him with surprise. "You mean she didn't give into your famous prying?"

"I don't pry," Andrew said defensively. "I gather information. Anyway, she wouldn't tell me what was bothering her and it's weird because she's always so happy during the Christmas season. It's her favorite time of the year."

Darien thought about what Andrew just told him as he went to close up the arcade. He didn't like that Serena was feeling down. She brought so much joy and happiness wherever she went, but seeing her sad just didn't seem natural and he wanted to do something about it. "What does she want for Christmas?" he asked when Andrew came back.

"Did I just hear you correctly?"

"Stop the jokes and just answer the question, Drew."

Andrew smiled. "Christmas cheer must have been spread to you. I never thought I'd see the day when you would want to be nice to Serena." Darien rolled his eyes at him. "Well she likes pink, ice cream, and she likes stuff about the moon and stars… don't ask me why."

"Thanks," Darien said making a mental note. "I have some shopping to do. I'll see you later."

"I'm really proud of you," Andrew called after him as he left the arcade.

***.*.*.*.*.*.***

Darien almost immediately found the perfect gift for Serena and had been carrying the wrapped package with him in his pocket. It was now Christmas day and he was starting to get worried because he hadn't seen her in the arcade in the last few days and Andrew said he hadn't seen her either. He sighed as he took a walk through the snow; normally he would stay holed up in his apartment waiting impatiently for the day to end, but for some reason he wanted to take a walk. After a while he found himself walking around the frozen lake in the park. Not many people were there as expected since most people were attending to Christmas festivities in their homes. He stopped when he saw a familiar blonde sitting on a bench by herself, but her shoulders were slumped and she seemed to be in deep thought. He went towards the bench and took a seat beside her. "There's my favorite Meatball Head," he said playfully. He frowned when she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I…" She held her head in her hands and started sobbing.

Darien scooted closer to her. "Come here," he said gently as he opened his arms. She leaned on his chest and continued to cry while he hugged her and rubbed her back. He wasn't sure what to say and continued to hold her while absently playing with her hair.

Serena finally let go of him and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry I cried all over you," she said apologetically.

"That's the least of my worries," Darien said. "What's bothering you?"

Serena sighed. "My mom has been really sick. She's been in the hospital all week and the doctors haven't been able to figure out what's wrong."

"Shouldn't you be with her right now?"

"She's resting. They said she's stable for now, but I didn't want to stay cooped up in that hospital on Christmas."

"Does anyone else know?"

Serena shook her head. "You're the only one I've told… "

"Why?"

"I didn't want to worry anyone with my problems."

"But you can't go through something like this alone. That's what your friends are there for." He paused. "I'll be here if you need anyone to talk to."

She looked up at him. "I thought you didn't like me."

Darien looked at her seriously. "I know I tease you a lot, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you, Serena. I hope you know that." Darien smiled. "Besides, I only tease the ones I love." That got a smile out of her. He rubbed her shoulders. "You shouldn't worry so much… everything will work out the way it's supposed to."

Serena smiled back at him. "Thank you, Darien." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before getting up to leave. "Merry Christmas." She walked away before he had a chance to say anything else to her.

Darien smiled as he got up to leave. He rubbed the place where Serena kissed him and smiled goofily as he felt her present in his pocket. He decided that he would give it to her some other time; he was happy knowing that his friendship was enough for her for now. "Merry Christmas, Meatball Head," he said before walking home.

**Author's Notes: I know that was kinda sad, but I liked the idea of Darien helping Serena for once. I hope you liked it. Tomorrow's story will definitely be a fun one!**


	4. 12 Days of Christmas

**Author's Note: This is definitely the longest out of the ones I've posted so far, but I think it's worth the read! Enjoy!**

**4. 12 Days of Christmas**

**Summary:** Darien is stuck in an alternate universe where the day keeps repeating itself on Christmas Eve… will he figure out how to stop it?

"_It's the most wonderful time of the year_…" the voice on the radio alarm clock sang. Darien slammed his hand on the alarm hard enough to smash it. At this point he didn't care anymore; it would probably be there when he woke up tomorrow blaring the same annoying song. For reasons he couldn't figure out, the day had been repeating itself for six days now.

The day started with his radio alarm clock playing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and he got dressed before making his way to the arcade. Andrew asked if he wanted a cup of coffee and shortly after Serena would come in and complain about how cold it was outside. They would have their usual name calling session before she ordered a hot chocolate and talked to Andrew about her Christmas plans. He would then go to the park and sit for a while watching a couple of kids having a snowball fight. Shortly after he heard Serena sing a Christmas song in his ear obnoxiously before he yelled at her and made her run away crying. All of a sudden he was back in his bed hearing the same song on his alarm clock.

He started his day again, but as time went on he noticed that everything was playing out exactly the same as the day before and thought he was experiencing a major case of déjà vu. After Serena ran away crying again, he found himself in the bed hearing the same dreaded song on his alarm clock. He tried staying in the arcade longer on the third day, but still ended up yelling at Serena like he did at the park and was back where he started. By this time he had figured out that he was stuck in come kind of weird time loop and that he needed to figure out how to escape the craziness.

On day four, he tried staying home all day long; after smashing his alarm clock he got dressed and turned on the TV, but every single channel was playing that dreaded song. He turned off the TV and played the radio instead, but every single radio station was playing that stupid song. He turned off the radio and resorted to reading, but there were carolers outside singing the song loudly so he went to the arcade. Unfortunately he snapped at Serena again because Andrew was whistling the song when he came in and she was humming it.

Today he decided that he was gonna try to be nice to Serena as he made his way to the arcade. He went inside and sat at the counter as usual. "Hey Dar," Andrew greeted. "Do you want your usual coffee?"

"Sure," he said. He heard the bell ring signaling a new customer and he knew right away that it was Serena coming in.

"It's SO cold outside!" she said as she took a seat at the counter next to Darien.

"It is winter, Serena," Darien said matter-of-factly.

She gave him a funny look. "Are you sick or something? You just called me Serena."

"That is your name, isn't it?"

Serena shook her head and smiled at Andrew when he came back with Darien's coffee. "Hi Andy," she said cheerfully. "Can I have some hot chocolate?"

"Sure thing, Sere," Andrew said. "Are you ready for Christmas yet?"

"Yes!" She said excitedly. "School is over, I bought all of my presents, and my mom even said I could help her with Christmas dinner!"

Darien bit back the comment he wanted to make about her eating all the food. "That sounds like fun," he said instead.

Serena whispered to Andrew, but still loud enough for Darien to hear. "There's something wrong with your friend." Andrew laughed.

"I can still hear you," Darien said. "Anyway I have to get going. Merry Christmas, guys."

"Merry Christmas," Andrew and Serena said together.

Darien left the arcade and made his way to the park. _That wasn't so bad_ he thought to himself. The truth of the matter was that Darien was not too fond of this time of year. He lost his parents around this time when he was younger and it was just a hard time to get through. He sat on the bench thinking about these things as he watched the same kids he had been seeing for the last five days have a snowball fight. Soon enough he heard footsteps behind him and sighed. "Hi Serena," he said.

She came from behind and took a seat next to him. "How did you know I was there?"

"Lucky guess," he said.

"What is going on with you today? You're acting so weird."

Darien shrugged. "I wish I knew."

They sat there for a while and watched the children having their snowball fight. "We should join them," Serena said suddenly.

Darien looked at her as if she were crazy. "Seriously?"

"Why not?" Serena said excitedly. "You're watching them like a hawk and it could be fun!" Serena stood up and grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

Darien let himself get dragged by Serena as she led him towards the kids who were still heavily involved in their snowball fight. _This is new_ he thought to himself. Before he knew it, he was on Serena's team trying to dodge snowballs that the two children were throwing at them left and right. "Can't you make snowballs faster, Meatball Head," Darien asked as he felt his competitive nature coming out.

Serena threw a snowball at one of the kids before ducking behind their makeshift fortress. "I'm trying my best," she said as she carefully made a new snowball.

Darien was in the middle of making another snowball, but was interrupted as a snowball hit him from behind. "Really?" he asked.

"We win!" one of the kids cheered before giving his friend a high five.

"10-5!" The other kid said.

"Good job," Serena said cheerfully. "That was so much fun… thank you!"

"We have to go. Bye!" The kids waved before running off.

Serena waved at them before turning towards Darien. She frowned when she saw him sitting in the snow with his arms folded. "It was just a game, Darien," she said as she sat next to him. "Don't be mad because we lost to a couple of kids."

"I'm not mad," Darien said angrily.

"Wow. I didn't realize you were such a sore loser."

"I'm not! And I don't need an immature brat like you calling me names!" He clasped his hands over his mouth realizing his mistake when he saw Serena's eyes fill with tears.

"You're one to talk," Serena said brokenly. She got up and ran away from him.

Darien blinked and he was back in the bed. "_It's the most wonderful time…_" He grabbed the alarm clock and threw it against the wall before it shattered into a bunch of pieces. "No more snowballs," he muttered to himself as he got ready for the same day.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

It was now day 12 and Darien had just about given up because was still stuck in the alternate universe. He was sitting in a corner booth in the arcade thinking about what had happened in the last few days. He tried just about everything! He tried sitting at different places in the arcade, avoiding Serena, ordering different items, avoiding the park, and even made snow angels with Serena, but nothing changed and he always ended up making Serena cry. He sighed as he took another sip of coffee. "Are you ok, Darien?" a voice asked across the table from him.

Darien looked up and found Serena sitting across from him with a cup of hot chocolate. "I'm fine," he said.

"You don't look fine."

"Why does it matter to you, Meatball Head?"

Serena shrugged. "It's almost Christmas and I wanted to spread some holiday cheer."

At this point Darien would usually snap at her, but he didn't feel like he had the energy this time. "Do you ever feel like the day is just repeating itself over and over again?"

"No," she said. "That's just silly. Everyday is a new experience and you have to take it as it comes."

"I guess," he muttered.

"What do you have planned for Christmas?" she asked trying to change the subject.

Darien scoffed. "Probably the exact same thing I did today."

"You can't do the _exact_ same thing you do today. For one thing the arcade is gonna be closed."

"You never know."

"Aren't you gonna celebrate Christmas with your family? Or at least trade presents with someone?"

Darien looked at her sadly. "I don't have a family," he said.

Serena gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Darien."

"Don't be. You didn't know."

"What happened to them?"

He sighed. He figured it was safe to tell her since the day would end up repeating itself and she wouldn't remember anyway. "My parents died in a car accident when I was very young. I was in the car with them and miraculously survived. I had no siblings and I grew up in an orphanage until I was old enough to move out on my own since no one wanted to adopt me."

"Did you at least make friends there?"

Darien shook his head no. "Everyone was mean to me or didn't want anything to do with me because I liked to keep to myself. I grew up thinking there was something wrong with me."

Serena reached out and covered his hand that was resting on the table. He looked up and she was smiling at him. "You can be a jerk, but there's definitely something special about you."

"Thanks a lot, Meatball Head," he said sincerely. He laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to put a damper on your Christmas cheer. What do you have planned for tomorrow?" He listened intently ad she talked excitedly about all of her Christmas plans. Before he knew it, they had spent a good two hours simply talking to each other and getting to know one another better. They eventually left the arcade and went to the park together to admire the snow. Darien sensed a case of déjà vu coming on, but he decided to let himself have fun with his new friend as they participated in a snowball fight, built a snowman, and made snow angels. They went to his apartment for hot chocolate to warm up and ended up watching 3 Christmas movies together without arguing once. It was now night time and Darien was walking Serena home with her arm looped through his. They stopped in front of her house and faced each other. "Thank you for a wonderful day, Meatball Head," he said affectionately.

Serena smiled at him. "I like us being friends," she said. "It's nice."

"We have to hang out like this more often," Darien said. He frowned slightly remembering his problem being stuck in the alternate universe.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to keep spending time with you, Serena," he said. "It's just that I'm afraid certain circumstances will prevent us from doing that."

"You worry too much. I have your cell phone number and you have mine. Call or text me anytime you want to talk or hang out… even tomorrow."

Darien sighed. "Ok… Merry Christmas. I'm sorry I don't have a present for you."

"It's fine, Darien. I think our new friendship is a good enough present for me." She gave him a hug. "Merry Christmas, Darien. Thank you for walking me home."

Darien smiled at her when she let go. "You're welcome." She waved at him before walking up the pathway that led to her front door and went inside. He sighed and turned around to go home. It was weird not having the day end so abruptly, but then again he didn't give Serena a reason to run away from him crying today. Before he knew it he was home and he went straight to bed because he was so tired.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

"_Good morning and Merry Christmas everyone_!" a voice from the radio alarm said cheerfully. Darien smacked the alarm off and slowly opened his eyes. He shot up in bed when it dawned on him that the annoying song didn't play. He reached for his cell phone and turned it on… sure enough the date was December 25th, but what surprised him was that he had a new text message from Serena. _Merry Christmas Darien! Mom and Dad said you can come over to spend Christmas with us if you wanted to. Let me know what you decide because I still want to see you sometime today. You're the one who said we should hang out together more often remember? ;-)_

Darien smiled and replied that he would be there within an hour. He rubbed his eyes and tried to think about what had happened to him in the last 12 days. Maybe it really all had been an elaborate dream and the day he spent with Serena yesterday was actually real. It was the only day that it had become night time and it was the only day that Serena gave her number to him. He would definitely have to ask her what happened yesterday when he went to see her. Whatever the circumstances, he was glad Serena didn't hate him and he had her friendship. It was going to be a Merry Christmas after all.


	5. Home for the Holiday

**Author's Notes: Sorry this is kinda late... we got some snow and it made the internet connection go out of whack. I hope this one is all right... **

**5. Home for the Holiday **

**Summary:** What happens when Serena gets sick and has to stay home alone on Christmas?

Serena woke up groggily with a sore throat and a stuffy nose, but she got ready for the day anyway. It was Christmas Eve and she had to finish shopping for the gift exchange with the girls later on that day. When she was ready, she went to the mall and finished her shopping in record time. She even found a nice present for Darien even though it was obvious he didn't like her. After shopping, she felt tired and was now sneezing and coughing a little bit so she stopped by the arcade to rest before going home. She took her regular seat at the counter and was greeted with Andrew smiling at her. "Hey, Serena," he said cheerfully. He took a good look at her. "Are you ok?"

"I will be," she said. "Can I have a cup of hot tea please?"

"Sure thing, Serena. I'll be right back." Andrew left and went to make the tea for her.

Serena was starting to feel a headache come on, but tried to ignore it. Before she knew it a cup of tea was placed in front of her. "Thank you, Andy," she said gratefully before taking a sip.

"Are you ready for Christmas?" he asked her.

"Yes!" she said excitedly. "I just finished shopping and I found you something, but you're gonna have to wait until I come back from my grandparents' house to get it because it isn't wrapped yet."

Andrew laughed. "Don't worry about it. I can take it now before you leave."

Serena smiled at him and pulled out an apron from her shopping bag. "I hope you like it."

Andrew took it from her gratefully before giving her a hug. "I love it, Serena. Thank you! I'll put it on right now to serve the other customers." He went in the back and winked at her when he came back out before going to serve more customers. Serena's headache was getting worse and it was annoying her. She took another sip of tea before resting her head on her arms on the counter for a minute.

"Gee, how lazy can you be, Meatball Head," a voice said above her after a while.

Serena raised her head weakly and rolled her eyes at him. "Leave me alone, Darien." After that statement she sneezed.

"Bless you," Darien said as he got a good look at her.

"Thanks," she said as she took out a tissue and wiped her nose.

"You know, you shouldn't be out here in the cold if you're sick, Meatball Head," he said with concern.

"I'm not sick," she proclaimed. "I would…" She sneezed again and groaned. "...know."

"Go home and get some rest, Serena," Darien commanded gently. "Do you need a ride? Need me to walk you home?"

Serena gave him a look as she gathered her things. "I can take care of myself, but thank you for your concern, Jerk Face."

Darien watched as Serena left. She was definitely sick and it annoyed him that she was one of those people who refused to admit they had a problem. "Something wrong, Dar?" Andrew asked suddenly.

"Why didn't you send Serena home? She's sick!"

"Why didn't you walk her home to make sure she got home safe, lover boy?"

Darien rolled his eyes at him. "I offered, but she refused. She's so stubborn."

"Sounds like someone I know," Andrew muttered. "You know you can always keep an eye on her just in case."

As if he got the permission he needed, Darien left and walked in the same direction he saw Serena going. It didn't take long for him to catch up to her because she was walking slowly and her hairstyle was unmistakable, even underneath the bunny hat she was wearing. He decided to stay out of her sight, but follow close enough just in case she needed him. He followed her to a cute yellow house where he was sure she lived with her family and made a note of the address so he could come check on her the next day.

_**The Next Day**_

Serena was sitting on the couch blowing her nose for the 20th time. She woke up with a headache, a stuffed nose, and a cough that made her throat hurt worse than ever. She didn't mind that part; what bothered her was that she was home alone on Christmas Day. Her mom noticed that she was sick when she got home yesterday and sent her to bed right away. She came in her room later to tell her that they were going to cancel their plans to see their grandparents, but Serena objected. She suggested that they go without her so she wouldn't spread germs to anyone and they did, after she convinced them she was old enough to take care of herself. The girls had called her and made her cry because she missed the gift exchange, but they rescheduled for after New Year's since some of them were going out of town too. Thinking about that made her sad again; she felt awful, she only had soup to eat, no Christmas decorations were up, and she was just lonely. She held her legs up to her chest and started to cry. After a while she heard knocking at the door. _Who could that be?_ she wondered. She wrapped a blanket around her and slowly dragged herself to the front door. When she opened the door she got the surprise of a lifetime. "Darien?" she croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"I know it's weird, but I was worried about you after I saw you yesterday, Meatball Head." He took a good look at her. "Is everything ok?"

"Not really," she said. "Come on in before you freeze to death."

Darien came inside and followed her to the den where they sat together on the couch. "I'm surprised your dad lets you have guys in here," he said trying to make light conversation.

"He doesn't," she said with a sniffle. "But he's not here right now… none of my family is."

"Are they ok?"

She nodded. "They went to spend Christmas with my grandparents. I was too sick to go with them and didn't want to spread any germs."

"And that's why you don't have any Christmas decorations up?"

Serena's eyes filled with tears again before she hid her face. "I hate it! I hate that I'm sick and I hate that I'm all alone without my family here." Before she knew it Darien was holding her in his arms as she cried. "Why are you spending Christmas with your worst enemy anyway?" she asked sleepily after a while.

"Because I care," he said as he gently laid her on the couch. "You need to rest Meatball Head." He pulled the blanket over her and knelt to stroke her forehead as she closed her eyes. He frowned when he felt how warm she was, but was glad to hear soft snoring coming from her. He went into the kitchen and got some supplies. He was glad to see that she had taken some cold medicine as he filled a bowl with cold water. He went back into the den with the bowl of water and a washcloth and knelt beside Serena on the couch. Careful not to wake her, he started wringing out the washcloth before dabbing her face and neck with it. When he was satisfied that she was a bit cooler, he left the washcloth on her forehead. "I'll be right back, Meatball Head," he whispered. He grabbed his coat and went out the door.

***.*.*.*.*.*.***

Serena woke up unsure of where she was at first because the first thing she saw was a tiny Christmas tree with bright lights and random ornaments in the corner of the room and a present underneath. She sat up and saw tinsel in the windows, stockings hung on the fireplace, and a tiny Christmas town on the mantel above the stockings. "Am I dreaming right now?" she asked aloud.

"You're finally awake," Darien said from behind her. He came to sit beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok," she said. "Did you do all this?"

He nodded. "I didn't want you to miss Christmas so I brought Christmas to you. And I know I'm not family, but you shouldn't be alone today."

She smiled widely at him and impulsively gave him a hug. "Thank you so much Darien! I love it!"

"Don't get me sick now, Meatball Head," he said with a laugh.

"You're the one who decided to stay. Why aren't you with your family anyway?"

Darien sighed. "I don't have any. I lost my parents a long time ago… actually most of this stuff is theirs."

"I'm sorry, Darien," Serena said sadly.

"Don't be. It's Christmas and I'm sure they'd be honored that I did something with it instead of letting it sit around." He got up and went to get the present under the tree. "This is for you," he said when he came back.

Serena took it from him gratefully. "Thank you, Darien. I got you something too, but it's all the way in my room."

"I can get it if you want," he offered.

Serena giggled before she sneezed. "I'd rather get it myself. Wait right here." She slowly got up and slowly made her way up the stairs to her room.

While Darien waited he went into the kitchen and warmed some soup for Serena. He put a plate of cookies on a tray with 2 mugs of hot chocolate and added the bowl of soup when it was ready. He carried it into the den just as Serena was coming in with a box wrapped in blue wrapping paper. "You need to eat something when you get a chance," Darien said.

"I will, but first let's open presents." She gave him his present before picking hers back up from the coffee table. "We can do it together. 1… 2… 3!" They both ripped off the wrapping paper and admired their presents. Serena carefully took out a star locket from the jewelry box while Darien examined a black and blue scarf. "I love it, Darien," she said as she put it on.

"And I love this scarf," Darien said. "You didn't have to get this for me, Serena."

"I wanted to. You can be a jerk, but even sweet jerks like you should get presents on Christmas."

Darien smiled at her. "I'm glad you're so fond of me. What else do you usually do on Christmas?"

"Well, we always watch a few Christmas movies on TV while eating cookies and hot chocolate." She started to grab a cookie that Darien had made.

"Eat your soup first, Meatball Head," Darien said as he lightly smacked her hand away.

She smiled at him. "Yes, father," she said sarcastically before picking up the bowl of soup. Darien turned on the television and started flipping channels. "Stop there," Serena said before he passed _The Polar Express_.

Darien gave her a sideways glare before smiling and putting the remote down. He picked up a cookie and took a bite. "Merry Christmas, Serena," he said.

Serena looked at him. "Merry Christmas, Darien. Now be quiet so we can hear the movie!"


	6. A Christmas to Remember

**6. A Christmas to Remember**

**Summary: **Darien and Serena spend their first Christmas together as a married couple.

Serena woke up and smiled. _It's Christmas_ she thought excitedly as she got out of bed. She saw that Darien was already up and followed the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen. She stood in the doorway and watched while Darien scrambled some eggs before putting them on a plate. She loved when he cooked for her. As soon as he put the pan down and was arranging the plates she snuck behind him and wrapped her arms around him. He jumped a little before turning around to hug his wife. "Merry Christmas," Serena said.

Darien smiled at her before bending down to give her a kiss. "Merry Christmas, love." He let go of her and pushed her towards a chair at the table. "Now sit down so we can have some breakfast."

"I can help you if you want…"

"No, no, no," he interrupted. "Consider this one of my Christmas presents to you."

Serena smiled as she took a seat. It was their first Christmas as a married couple and they did not have a lot, but they were happy together. She couldn't believe that they had already been married for so long… in a couple of weeks they would be celebrating their first wedding anniversary. She was thankful to have a husband who took very good care of her and loved her so very much.

"What are you thinking about, Meatball Head?" Darien asked as he set a plate in front of her before joining her at the table.

"First, why would you call me that, Jerk Face? I haven't had my hair like that in years."

Darien shrugged. "Old habits die hard. You didn't answer my question."

She took her hand in his. "I was just thinking about how much I love you."

"That's funny," Darien said. "I was just thinking the same thing." He caressed her knuckles. "I love you so much, Serena."

"Do you love me enough to let go of my hand so I can eat? I'm starving!"

Darien laughed as he let go of her hand. "Some things never change." They ate contently and just enjoyed each other's presence. "I know we agreed not to do presents this year, but I couldn't resist," he said when they finished.

"That's good because I have 2 presents for you."

Darien pouted as they went into the den. "But I only got you one present."

"You made me breakfast," Serena said as she got a wrapped present out of the closet. "So technically you got me 2 presents." Darien pulled out a wrapped present from the drawer in the coffee table while she sat on the couch next to him before trading presents. "I thought you got me 2 presents."

"You have to be patient and wait," Serena said. "Let's open these." They opened their presents and pulled the items from their careful wrapping. Darien looked at a thick black journal with a rose embedded on the side while Serena admired a golden heart shaped locket that could hold pictures. "I love it, Darien," she said gratefully before giving him a kiss.

"And I love this journal," he said as he read a note Serena wrote in the front cover. "Thank you, love." Serena clasped her hands together and played with her thumbs. He knew she only did that when she was nervous about something. "What's wrong?"

Serena looked up at him and took his hands into her own. "I couldn't wrap the second present."

Darien laughed. "Is that all you're worried about?"

"No," she drew out. She took a deep breath. "We're having a baby," she finally said quietly.

Darien wasn't sure he heard her right. "W-what?"

"We're having a baby," Serena said a little louder. "I've only known for about 2 weeks and I wanted to surprise you, but maybe I should have told you right away and…"

"We're having a baby!" Darien exclaimed as he interrupted her. He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss. "How far along are you?"

"2 months," she said. She hugged him again. "Oh Darien, I'm so glad you're happy," she said as her voice cracked and she began to cry.

Darien made her face him and wiped her tears away. "I couldn't be any happier," he said hoarsely. "This is the best Christmas present ever."

**Author's Notes: Yay halfway! I know this one is full of corn, cheese, and fluff, but it's still cute! I'm sorry it's so short... I have a lot going on today, but I'm pretty excited about the next few stories I have planned. Thank you for reading and thank you again for all of the reviews so far... keep them coming!**


	7. The Christmas Surprise

**Author's Notes: Sorry again this is so late... it was another busy day. I hope this one is worth the wait... I'm pretty proud of this story. Please enjoy and thank you again for all the reviews!**

**7. The Christmas Surprise**

**Summary: **Serena spends the day with an orphan on Christmas Eve. She finds a surprise when she brings her back to the orphanage…

Serena came into the arcade humming a Christmas song as she took a seat at the counter. "Hi Andy," she said cheerfully.

"Hey Serena," he replied. "I'll be right back." He walked past her and went to serve other customers.

As Serena took off her coat she glanced around the arcade and noticed a little girl with red hair sitting in a booth by herself. She couldn't have been more than 7 years old and there didn't seem to be any parents in sight. Curious, she went over there and sat across from her. "Hi," she said. The little girl looked down and held onto something in her lap. Suddenly a little furry grey head appeared at the edge of the table. Serena smiled. "What a cute kitten," she said.

The little girl looked up and smiled when she saw her kitten enjoying Serena's touch. "Her name is Diana," she said. "I never leave anywhere without her."

"It's nice to meet you, Diana," Serena said as she continued petting her. She looked up at the little girl. "What's your name?"

"Brittany," she said quietly.

"There you are!" Andrew said. "I thought you left for a moment. Oh, who's your friend, Serena?"

Brittany looked down again. "This is Brittany… she's a little shy, but I think she deserves a cup of hot chocolate. And can I have a peppermint chocolate milkshake?"

"Sure thing," Andrew said as he wrote down the order. "It'll be ready in a second."

As soon as he went away, Brittany looked up again. "Thank you for getting me a hot chocolate, Miss Serena," she said.

"No problem. You looked cold. And just call me Serena… I'm not a teacher." Brittany giggled. "So what are you doing here by yourself?"

Brittany's mood changed drastically. "I'm running away with Diana," she said. "We don't wanna spend Christmas at the orphanage." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "I miss my mommy and daddy."

Serena's heart softened immediately. She came to Brittany's side of the table and hugged her. "I know it's probably hard for you this time of year," she began to say. "…but I bet there are caring people there who miss you right now."

Andrew came back with their order and was confused about what was going on. "Is everything ok, Serena?"

"Do you have a phone book by chance?" Serena asked.

"It's in the back room."

She turned to face Brittany. "Can you stay here for a moment? I need to make a phone call."

She wiped her eyes. "Will you come back?"

"Of course I will. Andy here will keep an eye on you while I'm gone."

"Ok Serena," she said before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Serena got up and followed Andrew to the back room. He stayed in the doorway while watching Brittany play with her kitten. Serena looked for the phone book. "Do you mind telling me what's going on?" Andrew asked.

"She ran away from the orphanage," she explained as she opened the phone book. "I'm gonna call them to let them know she's safe." She found the number and dialed it on her cell phone.

"Merry Christmas. This is St. John's Orphanage. How may I help you?"

"Um hello," Serena said. "I found a Brittany who may have run away from your orphanage…"

"Oh yes!" the receptionist said. "The ladies have been worried sick about her."

"Well she's safe, but she doesn't want to spend Christmas there."

"That's pretty common for the new children that come here, but we're having a Christmas celebration around 5pm that all of the kids usually enjoy because Santa Claus makes an appearance."

Serena thought for a moment. "Do you think it would be ok if I spent the afternoon with her before returning her in time enough for the celebration?"

"What a wonderful idea! Let me check with my supervisor. Please hold." Serena waited patiently until she came back on the line. "Yes that is perfectly fine. You're welcome to come to the Christmas celebration too Miss…"

"Serena. Thank you so much. I guess I'll see you at 5pm." Serena hung up and went back to where Brittany was sitting contently playing with Diana. "So here's what's going on," she started to explain. "We're going to hang out all afternoon together and then I'm gonna take you back to the orphanage where they're gonna have a big Christmas party with Santa Claus."

Brittany's eyes got wide. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Serena said happily. "It's gonna be so much fun, but we have to finish here first."

***.*.*.*.*.***

After they finished at the arcade, Serena took Brittany to the park. She was so glad that it snowed this year because now they could play in it. They were in the middle of building a snowman and a snow kitten until Brittany froze and looked down all of a sudden. "What's wrong, Brittany?" Serena asked.

She pointed behind Serena with her head still down. "There's someone standing behind you."

Serena turned around and gave a little yelp when she realized who it was. He just laughed at her before she smacked him in the chest. "Really Darien… don't you have anything else better to do than sneak up on people?"

"But it's fun to sneak up on you, Meatball Head."

Serena turned around and found Brittany hiding behind the unfinished snowman. "Nice going," she said to him. "You scared my little friends away."

"Your friends?"

"It's ok to come out, Brittany." Brittany shyly stepped from behind the snowman and quickly came behind Serena. "There's nothing to be scared of, sweetie. This is just my uh… friend Darien. He can't hurt anyone."

Darien rolled his eyes at her before putting a duffel bag down and kneeling on the ground by Brittany. "Any friend of Serena's is a friend of mine," he said gently. She cowered further behind Serena. Darien noticed the unfinished snowman and snow cat. "Is it ok if I help you finish your snow people?"

Brittany poked her head out around Serena's leg. "It's supposed to be a snowman and a snow kitten," she said. "But I guess you can help if Serena says it's ok."

Darien looked up at Serena with a pleading look. "As long as you don't mess anything up," she said. Brittany excitedly went back to building her snow kitten and Darien followed her. He spent most of his time helping her make it look like a real kitten while Serena worked on the snowman. Serena was amazed by how good Darien was with Brittany who was currently making her laugh with a joke. _Who knew_ she wondered to herself. Soon enough they finished and admired their work. "That's a good snowman if I ever saw one," Serena said proudly.

"Diana loves the snow kitten!" Brittany said. "Look at her." They watched as Diana purred and snuggled next to the snow kitten. "Thank you so much, Mr. Darien," she said as she gave him a hug.

Darien knelt down and gave her a hug back. "You're very welcome," he said. "I have somewhere I need to be, but I'm sure I'll see you around again." He stood up and picked up his duffel bag.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Darien," Brittany said cheerfully.

"See you later, Serena," Darien said as he pet her on the head. "Merry Christmas."

Serena rolled her eyes as he walked away. "Merry Christmas," she forced herself to say. She looked down at Brittany who had picked up Diana. "Come on, Brittany. Let's go somewhere warm."

***.*.*.*.*.*.***

After going to the park, Serena brought Brittany and Diana to her house. Her parents were surprised at first when Serena came in with a strange little girl, but once they heard the story they couldn't have been any prouder of their daughter. They spent the rest of the afternoon watching a Christmas movie while doing each other's hair before they left to go to the orphanage. They were walking along the sidewalk hand in hand, but Serena noticed that Brittany was being awfully quiet. "What are you thinking about?" Serena asked.

"Can you be me and Diana's new mommy?" she asked innocently.

Serena frowned. "I wish I could, but I'm not old enough, sweetie." Brittany looked down with her bottom lip puckered out. Serena grabbed her chin and tilted her head up. "But I can stay with you for the Christmas party tonight. And if there's a way that I can visit you as much as I want I'll find it because I love you very much."

Brittany smiled at her. "Ok," she said. "I love you too, Serena."

Shortly after that they arrived at the orphanage where they were greeted warmly. "I'm so glad you're back, Brittany," the receptionist said. "We all missed you."

"I'm sorry I ran away," she said guiltily.

"We're just glad you're safe, honey. Now go ahead and wash your hands for dinner. We have a special guest coming soon."

"Santa?" she said hopefully.

"Shh," the receptionist said. "Some of the other kids don't know yet." Brittany ran up the stairs with Diana.

"Excuse me," a lady with brown hair said. "Are you Serena?"

"Yes," Serena said.

The lady with brown hair smiled and came up to her before giving her a hug. "I'm Mrs. Dearborn and I'm the supervisor here. Thank you for taking time out of your day to spend with Brittany and for bringing her back here."

"It wasn't a problem at all. She's a good girl and she just needs a friend." By this time Brittany had come back with Diana.

"You will be joining us for dinner won't you, dear," Mrs. Dearborn asked.

Serena looked down at Brittany who had taken hold of her hand again. "Of course. I have a promise to keep."

"Follow me," Brittany said. She led them into a large dining room where 3 long tables had been set up for the children. Brittany found a seat on the end with an area for Diana to eat and a seat for Serena to sit beside her. Serena noticed that many of these kids were 10 years old and younger and there were 3 or 4 ladies around who seemed to care about all 30 of them. As soon as all of the children were settled at the table, they said a cute little blessing before being served a hot meal. There was turkey, ham, rolls, vegetables, and rice and plenty of it to go around. After the main course, they were all offered cookies of different shapes and sizes. As soon as they were done, they all gathered into what looked like a giant family room.

"Is everyone here?" Mrs. Dearborn asked. All of the children chorused some form of a yes. "Good because we have a special guest who has been waiting to see you. Remember your manners and treat him with respect."

Mrs. Dearborn stepped aside and allowed a man dressed as Santa Claus come into the room from the kitchen with a big brown sack hung over his shoulder. "Ho, ho, ho," he said in a deep voice. "Merry Christmas."

Serena smiled as he came in and greeted each child who came up to him with a hug. He finally got to a chair in the middle of the room and put his bag down. "Is it really him?" Brittany whispered to Serena.

"It looks a lot like him," Serena said.

"What are you doing here so early, Santa?" a little boy asked. "It's not midnight yet."

"I always make a special stop here first because I know a lot of you don't have mommies and daddies anymore," he explained. "According to my list, every boy and girl has been good this year so all of you get a present."

"Yay!" all of the children cheered.

"Just wait for me to come to you and I'll give you your present." Santa got up and made his way around the room. He spent some time talking to each and every child after giving them their present and made them all feel special. Soon enough he got to Brittany. "Merry Christmas, Brittany," he said as he gave her 2 presents.

Brittany gasped. "Why do I get 2 presents?"

"Because the smaller one is for Diana," he said. "Why don't you open it for her?"

Brittany opened the smaller present excitedly as Diana looked on curiously from her lap. When it was all the way unwrapped, she smiled and admired the toy mouse before giving it to Diana. "She loves it," Brittany said excitedly as she watched Diana play on the floor with her new toy.

"Now you can open your present," Santa said.

Brittany hesitated. "Can I trade this gift in and ask for something else?"

"It depends what it is, sweetheart."

Brittany looked up at Serena before turning back to Santa. "Can you make Serena my new mommy someday?"

Santa noticed Serena's frown right away, but made eye contact with her to reassure her that he had everything under control. "I can't promise that, honey, but I can make her your big sister."

"You can?" Brittany and Serena said at the same time.

"Of course," Santa said confidently as he took an envelope out of his pocket. "This is a special present for Serena."

Serena took the envelope from him gratefully. She opened it while Brittany opened her present. She smiled when she read the paper inside. It was a volunteer application to participate in the Big Brother/ Big Sister program the orphanage supported. "Thank you so much, Santa," Serena said.

"And thank you so much for my new dolly, but I'm gonna like Serena being my big sister even more."

Santa smiled. "I'm sure of it. Serena has a good heart… I happen to know that she found you in the arcade and spent most of the day with you today. If I remember right, she also built a nice snowman with you." He looked at Serena and winked.

Serena froze in place and stared at him. All of a sudden she recognized him through his disguise. _I can't believe it_.

Brittany, oblivious to what was going on, hugged him. "Thank you so much, Santa. Serena will be the best big sister ever." Santa continued passing out presents to the children while Serena watched him carefully.

"I have to get going now," Santa said after he passed out the last present. "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

"Bye Santa," all of the children chorused at different times. Santa left and went into the kitchen.

"I'll be right back, Brittany," Serena said to her. "I want to personally say goodbye to Santa."

"Ok, but hurry back!"

Serena got up and went into the kitchen where she found Darien drinking some water in a red Santa suit without a beard, white hair, or a hat. "What in the world are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm Santa," he said cheekily.

"You know what I mean," she said impatiently.

Darien sighed. "I volunteer here regularly. I've been doing it since I moved out of here myself."

Serena was quiet as his words registered. "So I guess this place means a lot to you then."

Darien nodded. "I love volunteering here because it just makes the kids feel like they have one more person who cares about them. They didn't have many people like that around here when I was growing up."

"I'm sorry, Darien," Serena said sadly.

"There's no need to be sad... things have changed for the better. All that's left to do now is thank you."

Serena looked at him confusedly. "Why me?"

Darien smiled at her. "Thank you for having such a great big heart. Mrs. Dearborn doesn't pick just anybody to be part of the Big Brother/ Big Sister program."

Serena smiled and gave him a hug. "You're pretty incredible yourself."

Darien pet her on the head. "You better get back to the party before Brittany gets worried. I'll be there as soon as I get out of this outfit."

"No, I have to get home. But Brittany will be glad to see you."

"Merry Christmas, Meatball Head."

Serena smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Jerk Face." She went back into the den and found Brittany. "It's time for me to go, Brittany."

Brittany put her doll down and hugged Serena. "I'll miss you."

"I'll come back tomorrow and then we'll figure out when I can see you and Diana again after that. Does that sound ok?"

Brittany nodded. "I guess."

"I also happen to know that Mr. Darien will be here soon."

"Then you should stay," Brittany protested. "You and Mr. Darien go together like Barbie and Ken."

Serena laughed. "I wish it were that easy, but I have to go." She hugged Brittany. "I love you."

"I love you too, Serena. Thank you for the best Christmas Eve ever."

"You're welcome, sweetie." Serena stood up and blew her a kiss before going out the front door. As Serena walked home she smiled as she thought about one of the best Christmas Eves she ever had. She also thought about how she had more determination than ever to adopt a child someday with a certain gentleman, but that is a totally different story.


	8. I'll be Home for Christmas

**Author's Notes: I'm so glad everyone is enjoying these stories because I'm having fun writing these. I wrote this one in about an hour or so, but I'm still proud of it... short and sweet. Enjoy!**

**8. I'll be Home for Christmas**

**Summary: **Darien is stuck away at school for Christmas, but Serena has a great present coming his way.

_"Are you absolutely sure you can't come home for Christmas Day at least?" Serena asked over the phone._

_ Darien rubbed his eyes. "I really wish I could, babe, but I have to work," he said. "I'd come home earlier, but I have exams every day until Christmas Eve and then I have to go to that conference the next week."_

_ "But I miss you," Serena whined._

_ "I miss you more than you could ever know and it tears me apart being away from you for so long."_

_ He heard her sigh. "At least you have the day off tomorrow, right?"_

_ "Yes and I'm so glad, but I'm gonna spend most of the day studying."_

_ "Oh Darien, you know you're a genius. You could study for 2 hours tops and still get an A."_

_ Darien smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I still have other finals to study for too."_

_ "You're gonna do great… since you'll be home _all_ day._"

_"You're the best, Serena. Thank you for being so supportive."_

_"Don't mention it," she said with a smile in her voice. "That's what a girlfriend is supposed to do. It comes with the job. You owe me $5 by the way."_

_ Darien laughed. "I love you, Serena."_

_ "I love you too, Darien. Is it time for you to get back to work?"_

_ Darien checked his watch. "Yeah, it's almost that time. I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"_

_ "Sounds good. Don't work too hard."_

_ "I won't. Bye Serena."_

_ "Bye."_

Darien was thinking about that conversation on his long drive home from work. He knew that Christmas was Serena's favorite holiday and he was so disappointed that he was going to miss spending it with her this year. _That's life,_ he thought wryly. He couldn't wait for the day when he'd be finished with school forever and working a full time job in the hospital married to the love of his life. For now all he had to look forward to was more studying to pass finals in the next week. He finally arrived at his apartment and opened the door tiredly. He set his keys on the table and hung his coat up before turning on the lights, but when he turned them on he got the shock of a lifetime.

"Surprise!" Serena said when she came out of the kitchen.

Darien all but ran up to her and gave her a hug and a kiss. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you, silly," she said as she tapped his nose.

"You drove all the way here to see me?" he asked. She nodded vigorously. Realization suddenly dawned on him. "That's why you kept making sure I was off tomorrow."

"Uh-huh. I wanted to bring Christmas to you since you couldn't come home. Do you like it?"

Darien looked around for the first time and sure enough Christmas decorations adorned his entire apartment; lights, tiny Christmas trees, a manger scene, stockings, tinsel, and mistletoe was spread everywhere. "I love it," he said before giving Serena a kiss on her forehead.

"I was surprised you had a Christmas tree up already," Serena said.

"Well I know Christmas is your favorite holiday and since I knew I wouldn't be home I still wanted a reminded of you every time I came home."

Serena smiled at him. "That's so sweet! I have one rule for the next 24 hours."

"What's that, love?"

"No studying! I know you've been studying nonstop months in advance on your days off and you need a break. It's Christmas after all!"

Darien laughed. "Christmas is still a week away, honey."

"Not while I'm here," she sing-songed. "Now sit on the sofa and turn on the DVD player. I have lots of plans for us tonight and tomorrow."

"What kinds of plans?" Darien said as he went to turn on the TV.

"We're gonna pretend tonight is Christmas Eve and watch Christmas movies while drinking some hot chocolate until we fall asleep," Serena explained as she went into the kitchen. "Then tomorrow will be 'Christmas' so we'll finish decorating, make some cookies, open presents, and go caroling at the orphanage." She came in the den with two large mugs of hot chocolate and sat next to him on the couch.

"You think of everything," Darien said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "You're amazing."

"I know," she said cheekily. "Now what movie do you want to watch first?"

"We can start with a classic," Darien said. "_A Charlie Brown Christmas_ please."

"Yay, I love this one," Serena said as she got up and put it in. She sat back down and snuggled next to Darien. "I missed you so much," she said as she caressed his cheek.

Darien grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I missed you too. I'm so glad you're here right now."

"There's no where else I'd rather be."

"I love you, Serena."

"I love you too, Darien." They kissed while the Charlie Brown theme song played quietly in the background. It's safe to say that they wouldn't be paying much attention for a while.


	9. A Sweet Family Christmas

**Author's Notes: I'm sorry I didn't post a story yesterday... I came home from work and was in the middle of writing it and fell asleep! But here is Tale #9... enjoy!**

**9. A Sweet Family Christmas: **Serena and Darien spend Christmas together with their family

A girl with strawberry blonde hair dragged her little sister with black hair into their parents' room. They tiptoed as quietly as they could so they wouldn't wake their sleeping parents. "We have to be very, very quiet, Tierra," the girl with strawberry blonde hair said before opening the door. "They're still sleeping."

"Shh sissy," Tierra said.

The older girl smiled at her before opening the door. They tiptoed inside and got on the side of their parents' bed. The girl loved to see her parents holding each other as if they didn't want to let go while they slept and admired them for a moment.

"Wakey, wakey, Rini?" Tierra asked.

Rini nodded. "I'll give you a boost," she picked Tierra up and helped her get on the end of the bed before climbing up herself. Tierra was standing on her mother's side, while Rini stood on her father's side. "Ready," she whispered. Tierra nodded vigorously. "1, 2, 3!" They started jumping on the bed as fast as they could.

Their parents shot up and caught each of their daughters before pulling them down on the bed. "Gotcha," Darien said as he grabbed Rini and began tickling her while Serena did the same with Tierra.

The girls laughed loudly until their parents stopped tickling them. "We were gonna surprise you," Rini said.

"Merry Christmas," Tierra shouted loudly.

"Merry Christmas to you, baby," Serena said as she kissed the top of Tierra's head.

"Can we go open presents now?" Rini asked before giving Darien the puppy dog look.

Darien laughed as he hugged her. "We have to get out of bed and go downstairs first." The girls got out of their parents' embrace and ran out of the room down the stairs. Darien sighed and looked at Serena. "Merry Christmas, love," he said before giving her a kiss.

"Merry Christmas," Serena said before rubbing his back. "We'd better hurry down there before they yell at us," she added as she got out of the bed and put on her bathrobe.

Darien followed suit and then took his wife's hand before walking with her downstairs. By the time they got in the den where the tree with the presents was, Rini and Tierra were already shaking presents to see if they could guess what was inside. He sat with Serena on the couch and waited with her to see if their children would notice them. Rini turned around and saw her parents sitting there after a while. She tapped her sister on the shoulder to get her attention. "Are you ready to open them?" Darien asked.

"Yeah!" Rini and Tierra said together.

"Go ahead then," Serena said. "Rini's presents are on the left side and Tierra's are on the right."

Rini immediately started to open her presents until Tierra tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a couple of presents in the middle. Rini nodded before following her sister to pick up the messily wrapped presents. They walked to their parents and handed them both a present. "Merry Christmas, Mommy and Daddy," they said before running to open their presents.

"How did we get such great children?" Darien asked as he began to open his present.

Serena smiled as she opened her present. "Well, Darien, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

Darien nudged her arm. "You know what I mean, Meatball Head."

"Oh so we're back to that, are we, Jerk Face?"

"Mommy, Daddy, why are you calling each other names?" Rini asked.

"That not nice!" Tierra added.

Serena and Darien laughed. "We're just playing, my sweets," Serena said.

"Yeah," Darien said as he wrapped an arm around Serena. "I love your mommy very much," he said before giving her a kiss.

"Eww," Rini and Tierra said together before going back to open their presents.

"I guess they still don't like it when we kiss," Serena said.

"Or getting clothes for Christmas," Darien said noticing all the boxes of clothes tossed aside.

"They're 5 and 3… the best part of Christmas to them is the toys."

Darien shook his head as he finished opening his present from his daughters. "Did you pick this?" he asked as he pulled out the tie from the box.

"Kind of," Serena said. "They were arguing about whether to get you a blue tie or a pink tie so I found one with both colors." She finished opening her present and smiled. "Did you pick this?"

"Nope," Darien said. "They both picked two candles they thought you'd like. Of course Tierra went by color and Rini went by smell."

Serena laughed. "I love them."

"DORA!" Tierra yelled before hugging the stuffed doll.

"BARBIE!" Rini yelled as she examined her doll in the box.

Darien looked at Serena. "They found the toys," he said.

"I have a present for you," Serena said before pulling a present from the coffee table drawer.

"How funny, I have a present for you too," Darien said as he got up and got a present from another coffee table drawer. "Merry Christmas, love," he said when he came back to her.

They traded presents and opened them carefully. Darien opened the box he unwrapped and gasped when he saw the personalized photo frame. There was a picture of Rini and Tierra on one side, him and Serena kissing on the other side and a picture of all four of them in the middle. A message was inscribed above all the pictures: _To the father of my angels, my loving husband, and my best friend Darien. Merry Christmas 2010._

While Darien was admiring his present, Serena carefully took the necklace out of the box and admired the golden heart locket. She read the engraved message: _For my lovely wife, Serena._ She opened the locket and put a hand over her heart when she saw what was inside. "Aww," she cooed. On the left side was a photo of Darien holding Rini and Tierra while they gave him a kiss on each cheek and on the left side was a photo of Darien giving Serena a kiss. Serena turned and gave Darien a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Darien," she said. "I love it."

"And I love this photo frame," he said. "Thank you."

"Daddy," Rini said suddenly. "Can you make our toys work?"

"Of course I can, honey," Darien said. He got up and started towards the stairs.

"I have batteries right here," Serena said as she pulled some from her bathrobe pocket.

"Mommy thinks of everything," Rini said.

Darien smiled as he came back to the sofa and sat down while Serena started putting batteries in one of Tierra's games. He picked up some batteries and started putting some batteries in Rini's Barbie car. "Yes… Mommy thinks of everything."

"Thank you for presents," Tierra said as she hugged her Dora doll again.

"Yeah thank you," Rini said. "Did you like our presents?"

"We loved them," Serena said as she gave Tierra her game back. "Thank you."

"Did you two have a good Christmas?" Darien asked as he gave Rini her Barbie car back.

"Yes!" Tierra and Rini said together. They took their toys and began playing with them around the tree.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Serena asked Darien as she rubbed his back.

"One of the best ever," he said as he put an arm around her shoulder. "And there's many more to come." They sat there watching contently while their children played with their new toys.

"I should start breakfast," Serena said after a while.

Darien laughed. "Leave it you to think of food," he said.

Serena put a hand on her hip. "They'll be hungry soon," she replied before nudging him. "And so will you."

"It wouldn't be Christmas without your famous breakfast."

"And it wouldn't be Christmas without our movies and cookies later."

Darien smiled at her. "I love you, Serena."

Serena kissed him. "I love you too, Darien. Now let me make breakfast!"


	10. All I Want for Christmas

**Author's Notes: Sorry it's late again, but here is tale #10... it's pretty corny, but cute. Enjoy!**

**10. All I Want for Christmas**

**Summary: **Serena and Darien are friends and she asks him what he wants for Christmas. He provides clues so she can guess...

_Elf_ just went off and Darien turned off the TV. "I love that movie," Serena said as she took another cookie.

"Me too," Darien said. "What do you wanna do now?"

Serena chewed her cookie and thought about it. "We can finish Christmas shopping," she finally said. "What do you want for Christmas? You're the only one besides my family that I haven't bought anything for yet."

"I keep telling you that I don't need anything, Sere," he said.

She threw a pillow at him. "That's not what I asked. I said what do you _want_?"

"I really don't want a lot for Christmas, but there is one thing…"

"What?" Serena asked excitedly.

Darien got up and opened the closet to get his coat. "Let's go to the mall and I'll show you."

As soon as Serena got her coat on they went in Darien's car and drove to the mall. Darien turned on the radio and a Christmas song was playing. Serena sang along with all of them and Darien smiled. He loved to hear her sing… honestly he loved everything about her and wanted to be more than friends with her, but couldn't find the right time to tell her. He hoped that this trip to the mall would help. "What do you want for Christmas, Sere?" he suddenly asked.

"You mean to tell me you didn't get my gift yet?" Darien shrugged. "You know what I like… moons, stars, pink, ice cream, bunnies…"

"I know… I was just making sure nothing changed. I'd never want you to change."

Serena smiled. "You don't have to worry about that." They arrived at the mall and Darien parked the car. They walked inside and began walking around. "Where should we start?"

"Well," Darien said. "What I want for Christmas Santa can't bring."

"Of course Santa can't bring anything," Serena said as she walked inside a store. "He's not real!"

Darien put a hand over his heart. "He's not?" he said dramatically. He pretended to cry.

Serena hit him with her purse. "Seriously, what do you want for Christmas?"

"I really don't care about presents."

"But it's Christmas," Serena whined. "I have to get you something!"

Darien shrugged. "Do you think your dad will like this sweater?" he asked as he held a sweater up.

Serena shook her head. "He'd love it, but don't think that gets you off the hook." Darien smiled as she went to look around the store some more.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.***

A couple of hours later, Serena and Darien were at Serena's house in the living room. Serena had bought presents for everyone in her family and Darien found a few more things for Andrew and his family, but Serena still hadn't found anything for Darien. "Tell me!" she said.

"Stop asking," Darien replied.

Serena groaned. "We've been in almost every store in the mall and I still didn't find you anything!"

"It won't be a surprise if I see what you buy for me though."

"So?" she said. "I saw one of the presents you got me."

"I see the present I want every day," he said cryptically.

"I wish you'd stop with all these riddles," she said. "Just come out with it already!"

Darien rolled his eyes and smiled at her. "Follow me," he said as he took her hand and led her up to her room. As soon as they got there, Darien placed her in front of her full length mirror while he stood behind her. "I don't want a lot for Christmas," he said. Serena started to say something, but he shushed her. "Just let me finish. Santa can't bring me anything that will make me as happy as this gift would. What I want for Christmas brings me so much more joy than anything in the world money could buy." He sighed. "Look in the mirror and you'll find what I want for Christmas."

Serena looked in the mirror with a confused look on her face. "I don't get it."

Darien turned her around. "All I want for Christmas is you, Serena. I love that we're friends and I love everything about you. I've tried to keep it a secret, but my feelings for you can't be tamed. I know this was a lame way to tell you and you might not even feel the same way and I'm rambling now and…"

Serena stood on her tip toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "You talk too much," she said. "And I feel the same way, Darien. I've always liked you."

Darien smiled. "Really?"

"Yes really… why didn't you just tell me?"

"I was scared… why didn't you tell me?"

"Same reason," she laughed. "That reminds me of how we made a truce."

"Because we were both scared we really hated each other."

"How about we agree to be honest from here on out… no matter what."

"No matter what," Darien repeated. "Starting now… Serena, all I want for Christmas is you."

Serena smiled. "And all I want for Christmas is you too… and for you to tell me a gift I can get for you!"


	11. Secret Santa

**Author's Notes: Happy Christmas Eve! (It's almost 2am here, so it's Christmas Eve, ok?) I feel like the ending suffered a little bit in this one, but I hope you enjoy anyway!**

**11. Secret Santa**

**Summary: **"Destiny" forces Serena and Darien to draw each other's name for the Secret Santa game...

Andrew was whistling "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" as he stacked the chairs to close up the arcade. He heard knocking at the door and smiled when he saw four of his favorite girls there. He unlocked the door for them and let them inside. "Hey," he said cheerfully as he closed and locked the door again.

"We need to hurry," Lita said immediately getting down to business. "We told Serena to be here at 6:15pm."

"Knowing her she'll be late like always," Rae said.

"You gotta have a little more faith in her," Amy commented.

"She might surprise us and come on time," Mina said. Everyone gave her a funny look. "She could." Her phone suddenly jingled and Mina found a text message. "Aww, Serena said she's gonna be a little late."

"Figures," Rae muttered.

"Anyway," Andrew said. "This puts a slight damper on our plan, but this might work out better. It's already 6:05pm and I told Darien to be here at 6:15pm so let's go ahead and do the real Secret Santa drawing." He pulled out a hat, slips of paper, and some pens. "You know what to do." Everyone took a slip of paper and a pen and wrote their names down before folding it up and putting it in the middle. As soon as everyone was done, Andrew slid all the names into the hat. He shook it up a bit and put the hat in the middle. Everyone drew a name and looked at it. "Perfect," Andrew said.

"So what are we gonna do when Darien gets here?" Lita asked.

They thought for a moment. "Well instead of putting in only Serena and Darien's names like we planned to before, we can all just put Serena's name in so Darien has to get her," Amy said.

"You're a genius!" Lita exclaimed.

"And whoever gets Darien's name can put it back in the hat when he's not looking so it's the only one left and Serena has no choice," Andrew added.

"Are you sure that'll work?" Rae asked.

"It has to work!" Mina said as she slammed her hand on the counter. "Serena and Darien were destined to be together and we have to make sure they get each other's names."

Everyone else gave her a funny look. "I'm not so sure about destiny," Amy said. "But it's nice to help our friends out."

Just then knocking was heard on the door. Andrew smiled when he saw Darien standing there. "Show time," he said. "Amy, throw away our names." He unlocked the door and let him inside.

"Hey," Darien said when he came inside.

"Hi," the girls greeted.

Darien looked around. "Isn't Meatball Head supposed to be here too?"

"She's running late, but we can start without her," Andrew said. He pulled out slips of paper and pens and passed them around the same way he did before. "Everyone knows what to do, right?" he asked more for reassurance. They all nodded and wrote a name on the slip of paper before putting it in the hat. Andrew shook it up for good measure and placed the hat in front of Darien. "You can go first," he said.

Darien turned away from the hat and drew a name. He frowned for a moment. "How did Meatball Head's name get in here?" he asked. "She's not even here yet."

They all froze for a moment. "I put her name in there for her with mine to uh… save some time," Mina said quickly. "But now you blew the secret so you have to draw again."

Darien sighed as he threw the name in before Andrew shook the hat again. He drew again when he was done and had a confused look on his face, but didn't say anything about the name he drew. _Guess I was meant to get Serena._ He thought about what he would get her while everyone else drew names until his concentration was broken by knocking at the door. He smirked when he saw it was Serena and watched as Andrew opened the door for her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Serena said. "My parents ALWAYS ask me to do random chores whenever I'm about to go somewhere."

"Excuses," Darien said.

Serena faced him and put a hand on her hip. "I am not in the mood for you, Jerk Face, so leave me alone!"

Amy touched her arm. "Calm down, Serena," she said gently. "Remember why we're here."

"I don't think I've ever seen Meatball Head calm," Darien said.

"Yeah," Rae added. "She overreacts to everything."

"I do not!" Serena protested.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"DO TOO!"

"DO NOT!"

"Do too, do too, do too, do too, do too, do too!"

"Do not, do not, do not, do not, do not, do not!"

"Just stop it already!" Lita said exasperatedly.

"They started it," Serena mumbled.

"Please stop the fighting," Andrew said before Darien had a chance to retort. "We already drew names, Serena so there's only one name left. Go ahead and get it."

Serena pulled the name from the hat and made a face when she read who it was. _Great_ she thought to herself.

"What's the matter, Meatball Head? Can't read?"

"I know how to read, idiot! The person I got is just _really _difficult to shop for."

"You're something else, Meatball Head."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Serena, why don't you come sit by me?" Amy said. "That way you won't be anywhere near Darien."

"I still have to breathe the same air as him," Serena mumbled as she went to stand by Amy.

"Secret Santa is on!" Andrew announced. "You have one week to get a present and we'll reveal secret Santas at my house for Christmas Eve."

"Awesome," Serena said as she put on her coat. "I have to get home for dinner, but I'll see you all later."

"Are you sure you're trying not to breathe my air?" Darien asked.

"I'm so sick of you!" Serena said as she marched towards the door.

"You don't make it easy to be around either," Darien added as he put his coat on and followed her. Serena stomped out of the door with Darien following close behind. As soon as they were gone, Andrew and the girls breathed a sigh of relief.

"A) They're hopeless and B) that was close!" Andrew exclaimed.

"We almost blew our cover," Lita said.

"Good save Mina," Rae said.

"It's because the goddess of love has struck again," Mina said as she struck a pose. "Destiny is at work."

"Destiny or not, we need to be careful," Amy said.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.***

As soon as Darien stopped harassing her and was out of sight, Serena skipped the rest of the way home. Unknown to anyone else she was thrilled that she was Darien's secret Santa. She definitely had a crush on him, but she didn't want to give the girls a reason to say I told you so or embarrass herself in case he didn't like her back. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and sighed. Who was she kidding? He would never be interested in someone like her… she would always be Meatball Head to him. She was still happy to be able to get a present for him and really wanted to get him special.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.***

A few days later after finals were done, Darien was reluctantly in the mall to do his secret Santa shopping. He didn't know the first thing about what Serena liked so he figured the mall would be a good place because of the diversity of the stores. He smirked when he passed the toy store. It would surely be priceless to see the look on her face when she saw that she got a Barbie doll, but he didn't want to do that. If he wanted to increase his chances of getting Serena to at least like him then he knew that he had to get her a legitimate present. He passed a bunch of stores he knew she wouldn't be interested in, but still didn't see anything that caught his eye. After a few minutes he took a break to get a quick bite to eat since he didn't have lunch yet. He went directly to the coffee stand to get his regular fix of coffee and waited patiently in line. While he was reading the menu, someone behind him accidentally pushed him causing him to bump into the person in front of him. "I'm sorry," Darien started to say until he realized who was in front of him. _Ironic._

Serena sighed when she saw who bumped into her. "That's funny… I'm always the one bumping into you," she said. "You better not give me a hard time about that anymore."

"It wasn't even my fault," Darien protested. "Just forget it!"

"Wow someone's cranky. Ah, it's because you haven't gotten your coffee fix yet. I swear you have an addiction, Darien."

"I do not!"

Serena just shook her head. "So what are you doing at the mall anyway? I thought all you did was study and plot ways to get on my nerves."

Darien smirked and decided to ignore her comment. "I have to shop for my secret Santa present," he said. "I don't know where to start for her though."

"You got one of the girls?" Serena asked curiously. "Good luck with that." She went to the cashier and placed her order for a cookie. Darien shook his head as he watched her dig for money in her purse. "I could have sworn I had another dollar in here," she said.

Darien sighed and pulled out his wallet. He placed a couple of dollars on the counter for Serena to use. "You're welcome," he said.

Serena paid for her cookie and stepped aside as Darien placed his order for a cup of coffee. "Thank you," she said while he was waiting for his coffee. "That's the nicest thing I've ever seen you do."

Darien shrugged. "I can be a nice guy… you're just fun to play around with." He got his coffee and walked with her.

"You call it fun, I call it annoying." Darien laughed. "Do you think you could help me with my secret Santa gift?" she asked all of a sudden.

"You want my help?" he asked dramatically.

"Well, my person is hard to shop for… and he's a guy."

Darien smiled. There was half a chance that he was the name Serena drew for the secret Santa. "I guess I could help you," he finally said. "As long as you help me."

"You have a deal," Serena said as she stuck her hand out. "Truce?"

"Truce," Darien said before shaking Serena's hand. They spent the next hour and a half going into a few stores Serena liked and a few other stores that Darien liked. They each gave each other pointers about what gift would be best and over time they learned about each other's interests. They were in a book store looking at all of the journals. "I love journals," Darien said as he picked up a black journal and examined the pages. "Writing really helps me sort my thoughts out."

"I do too!" Serena said while admiring a pink one. "It's fun to write it out, especially when no one else understands you."

Darien nodded. In the short time he had spent with her peacefully, he realized just how much he didn't know about her and how much he wanted to know her even better. It was nice to have a girl who wasn't superficial and left him wanting to learn more and more. "So do you think any of the girls would like a journal?" he asked.

Serena thought. "Amy might, only because she loves reading. Mina, maybe. Rae and Lita? Forget it."

"Great," Darien said. "I have to get going, Serena, but thank you for all your help. I have plenty of ideas now."

"No, thank you," Serena said. "I know the exact present I wanna get him now." Darien waved at her before leaving the bookstore. As soon as he was out of sight, Serena picked up the thick black journal he was looking at. "Perfect," she said gleefully before rushing to the cash register.

***.*.*.*.*.*.*.***

It was now Christmas Eve and everyone was at Andrew's house for the mini Christmas party. All the Secret Santa presents were under the tree and they were in the middle of decorating Christmas cookies. "Mine is so cute!" Serena said as she held up her angel sugar cookie.

"All you need are some meatballs to go on her hair and she'll look just like you," Darien said as he put finishing touches on his gingerbread man.

Serena smirked and came to look at his cookie. She picked up some green frosting. "Here," she said.

"What's this for?"

"You have to give him a green jacket! Of course it won't be as ugly as yours, but still…"

Darien snatched the green from her. "Green will look nice on him."

While Serena and Darien were having their conversation, the others watched. "This is weird," Rae said. "They're actually getting along."

"Duh," Mina said. "They're in L-O-V-E."

"I've been saying that for months," Andrew commented.

"Let's just hope the secret Santa gift exchange seals the deal," Lita said before pulling some cookies out of the oven.

"The cookies are done!" Serena said excitedly. "Can we open presents now?"

"Sure," Andrew said. They all went into the den and sat on the floor by the Christmas tree. "I guess I'll pass out presents and then we can open them." He got all of the presents out and passed them around accordingly. "You're first, Mina."

Mina clapped her hands before opening the small box. She pulled out an orange scarf and hat set. "Aww this is cute!"

"I got that for you," Amy said.

Mina went to hug her. "Thank you, I love it!"

"I guess it's my turn then," Amy said before opening her present. She opened it and found a book by her favorite author. "It's just what I wanted! Thank you…"

"Lita," Lita finished for her. "I'm glad you like it." She opened her present and found a cooking utensil set. "Awesome!" she exclaimed. "Who's responsible for this beauty?"

"That'd be me," Andrew said. "I knew you'd love it." He opened his present and found a couple of aprons, one red and the other blue. "I needed these!"

"You're welcome!" Rae said with a wink before opening her present. She smiled when she saw the set of teacups. "I'm glad someone thought to get me a new tea set since someone broke a few cups."

Mina laughed nervously. "That's why I got them? And because you're one of my best friends."

While everyone else admired their presents as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, Serena and Darien looked at each other. "I bet they had something to do with this," Serena said.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Darien said. "Shall we open them together?"

Serena smiled and nodded. She and Darien opened their presents and laughed when they saw what it was. "What's so funny?" Mina asked.

"We both got journals!" Serena said after she calmed down.

"How convenient," Darien added. "But thank you, Serena. I love it."

"And I love mine!"

"Who knew? Meatball Brains likes to journal," Rae said.

Serena was about to make a retort until Darien spoke up instead. "Maybe you didn't know because you don't really understand her," he said.

"Way to go all philosophical, Dar," Andrew said. "I don't know about all of you, but I want some cookies."

Everyone got up and went towards the kitchen. Serena grabbed Darien's wrist from behind and stopped him before he went into the kitchen as well. "Why did you do that for me?" she asked.

Darien shrugged. "I believe in you. You have enough potential to do anything... even write out your hopes and dreams no one else may understand."

Serena smiled before impulsively hugging him. "Thank you, Darien," she said. "Does that mean we're friends now?"

"If that's all it took to make us friends, then we should get each other presents more often."

Serena's eyes widened. "What a great idea!"


	12. Christmas Tonight

**Author's Notes: ****This is it… tale #12! It was fun writing all of these and I hope they all brought you some Christmas cheer. This one was inspired by another one of Dave Barnes' songs called Christmas Tonight (seriously, GO BUY HIS CHRISTMAS ALBUM... you won't regret it). Enjoy this final tale and have a very Merry Christmas!**

**12.** **Christmas Tonight**

**Summary:** Serena and Darien have a Christmas party to get to, but Serena has another plan in mind.

Darien checked his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was currently waiting at the bottom of the stairs for his wife, Serena to finish getting ready for his company Christmas party, but at the rate she was going they were going to be late. He loved her to death and knew she had a tendency to be late, but this time she was taking way to long. He looked in the mirror in the foyer and adjusted his tie and his sweater to pass some time. "Serena," he called up the stairs. "Are you almost ready?"

Serena appeared at the top of the stairs with the tacky Christmas sweater she wore to Andrew's party last week and a pair of jeans. "I'm ready," she said as she came down the stairs.

Darien just stared as she came down the steps. "Sweetie," he said when she got to the bottom. "You know I love you, but I told you that this party was formal."

"I know," she said as she traced a heart on his chest. "I was thinking that maybe we could just stay home and enjoy some time together."

"But I bought this new tie just for this party," he whined.

Serena laughed. "It doesn't look that safe to drive in the snow anyway."

Darien looked out the window. It was snowing, but none of it was really sticking to the ground. "We really should go to the party anyway… I RSVP'd and said we were coming."

"Plans can change," Serena said as she took his hand. "Can we please stay in tonight?"

Darien sighed. "What'd you have in mind?"

Serena gave her sexiest smile. "I thought we'd make some cookies, light the fire, and just snuggle together while watching some movies. It's Christmas Eve after all."

Darien smirked. He did like the idea of simply staying home instead of being bored at a party he didn't really want to go to. And having Serena to himself was awfully tempting. It was so hard to resist her. "You do look too good to share," he finally said.

Serena blushed and smiled. It amused him that even after all the time they had been together he was still able to make her blush. "You look pretty hot yourself," she said. "Your boss won't care if you miss the party… there's always next year."

"You're right… like always. I'll light the fire."

"And I'll get everything ready for the cookies!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tip toes and gave him a passionate kiss. "I love you, Darien. Thank you."

"I love you too, Serena." He watched her skip towards the kitchen before he went into the den to get the fire started. He was so thankful to have a wife who loved him inside and out and was able to bring so much joy wherever she went. Thanks to her, he would have a very merry Christmas Eve tonight.

**The End**


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